BC's Residential Tenancy System: 13 Recommendations for Change

This report was co-authored by a group of legal organization that came together in the lead-up to the 2013 election to develop recommendations to ensure that BC's Residential Tenancy Act achieves its purpose of balancing the rights of tenants and landlords.

The current shortage of affordable housing in BC means that housing is costly and vacancy rates are low. This makes tenants vulnerable, and increases the likelihood that tenants and landlords will find themselves in conflict. In this context, our landlord/tenant legislation needs to contain reasonable protections for tenants. Just as important, the RTB needs to be empowered to effectively administer the legislation.

Housing Justice for all.

Optional email code

Yes, you can send me relevant email and newsletters

This paper presents a series of legislative and operational proposals to move BC's residential tenancy legislation in line with the rest of Canada. The proposals are modest, and many have been implemented in other jurisdictions. Our hope is that these recommendations will be a useful tool for considering ways to enhance the effectiveness, fairness and responsiveness of the province’s residential tenancy framework.

We invite you to join us in recognizing that we are on stolen lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We are grateful to Indigenous Peoples for their continuous relationship with their lands and are committed to learning to work in solidarity as accomplices in shifting the colonial default.